You Need A Hero
by dianaface
Summary: Everyone needs saving, Sasuke. Even you." SasuSaku & NaruSaku.


**disclaimer **kishimoto is the genius. im just a silly obsessed girl.

EDIT: this is NOT a sasunaru. i chose sasuke and naruto as the characters because theyre the only ones in the fic, hehe. i didnt consider people would mistake it for the pairing. sorry!

* * *

"Teme, you're breaking her," Naruto tells his friend.

Sasuke doesn't respond. Only glares at his bowl of noodles, willing them to disappear.

He doesn't even like ramen. What is he doing here?

Naruto has stopped eating.

"_Again_," Naruto adds. "You weren't here to see her last time. I was. I made her a promise. And I kept it."

"_I _made no promises," the Uchiha says flatly.

Naruto nods. "I know."

They sit in silence for a while. A minute, or maybe an hour, passes.

"I don't deserve her," Sasuke finally says. "You do."

The blond grins his trademark grin, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "But _she_ deserves _you_."

"She loves you."

Naruto sighs. It is one of those rare occasions where his maturity and growth isn't concealed behind stupidity and naivety. Naivety had always been Sakura's thing, anyway. She never did learn how to stop wishing.

"Yes, she does. You know how long it took me to get that?" For a moment, Naruto is angry. He has worked so hard for Sakura's affections, and when he finally gets the kunoichi to love him back, it isn't enough.

Naruto chuckles to himself. The sound is strangled and empty of humor.

He should have seen that coming. A love like the one Sakura had, no, _has_ for Sasuke could never be extinguished or overshadowed. Maybe if Sasuke hadn't been on their team. Maybe then it would have remained a simple little girl's shallow infatuation. But it didn't. And despite everything, he would never have wished it any other way.

Children do not know the meaning of love, everyone said. But Sakura did. Does. Always has. Maybe that's why Naruto loves her so much.

The anger fades quickly. The bond he has with Sasuke overcomes the hatred he has always had for him.

"She loves you more," Naruto finally says.

After a while, Sasuke nods. "I know."

Naruto's chatty side awakens suddenly. "I want to see her happy. I want to see you happy. I want to see you both happy. Together, because that seems to be the only way. Because me, I'm less fragile than you guys."

Sasuke glares at him.

The jinchuuriki laughs. "Seriously. I know I won't get past this. I'll always love Sakura-chan. More than you ever will."

Sasuke nods, but Naruto senses that he disagrees. He continues.

"But I can live with it. And I can be happy regardless. You two, you can't. You've tried. And I know that neither of you can. So I'll...yeah."

Sasuke looks at him. "You're not being a hero. I never asked you for anything."

"I know. But you didn't have to."

Sasuke stands up, ramen untouched. He's furious at Naruto for assuming he needs help. Maybe Sakura does. She's always been their princess in distress, regardless of how strong she has become. But not Sasuke Uchiha. He doesn't need anyone's sacrifices.

"Sasuke."

Said boy pauses and turns. The dobe hasn't called him by his name for a while.

"Everyone needs saving. Even you. _Especially _you," he adds to spite him.

The prodigy narrows his eyes. How does Naruto always know what he's thinking?

Naruto smiles, bouncing past him down the street, hands behind his head in that casual stance he always possesses.

"I know you and Sakura-chan better than you know yourselves. Why do you think I do what I do for you guys? Oh, and you're naming your first kid after me," he adds, laughing before running off.

Sasuke doesn't react. The idiot always puts on a smile, but Sasuke knows him rather well, too. He sees him break a little, catches his faltering smile before he leaps out of sight.

He hates that stupid ninja. But he needs him. And he needs Sakura. And something inside him acknowledges that he is not selfless enough to do what Naruto is doing, and he thanks him.

In his head, of course. Because if he thanks him out loud, he might actually think he _will_ name his firstborn after the self-proclaimed future Hokage.

Not happening.

* * *

silly ideas wont leave my head till i type them out.

review, pretty please?


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